Calls to make attacks on shop workers a specific offence
It follows several attacks in Sussex during a 'shoplifting epidemic'
A new report shows the UK is facing an 'out of control shoplifting epidemic', and retail crime is similarly on the rise across Sussex according to the county's Police force.
It's after an independent report from retail crime criminologist, Dr Emmeline Taylor, revealed that retail crime is all too often dismissed as a petty and victimless crime, despite its serious and far-reaching societal consequences.
Alongside the report, the Co-op has today revealed that, in 2023, it experienced:
• More than 300,000 incidents of shoplifting, abuse, violence and anti-social behaviour (up 44% year on year), equating to nearly 1,000 incidents every day across its 2,400 stores.
• Over 1,325 physical assaults against store workers (up 34% year on year).
• More than 40,000 incidents (up 37%) of anti-social behaviour and abuse.
It's despite the Co-op investing more than £200M in recent years in colleague safety and store security, including in the latest interactive CCTV; body-worn cameras; fortified kiosks; dummy (or empty) packaging to deter bulk-theft and, covert and non-covert guarding.
Chris Neilson is Sussex Police's Force Lead on Business Crime and said:
"Violence against shop workers is an increasing issue. It's something we are seeing on Sussex, but also across England, Wales and all of the UK.
"We take it extremely seriously. Sussex Police has a dedicated business crime team of 10 investigators, which is a significant investment. They look at many thousands of business crimes but where there's a violent crime, particularly against shop workers, they are prioritised.
"We seem to have seen an increase since Covid, and not just against shop workers, staff in banks and emergency workers. A similar level of anything from anti-social behaviour to violence against people that work in those environments.
"We work closely with our businesses to look at how shop layouts work, how they can do the best they can to look after their staff whether it's body-worn cameras or CCTV so we can have the evidence and it can be clear to perpetrators that we take it seriously and there will be prosecutions."